Strengthening the Eco-Clubs of Rural Schools in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal

Name of Organization, Community or Implementer: 
Bidisha Banerjee
State/District/Town/Villiage: 
Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu and Labpur, West Bengal
Summary: 

As part of an Indicorps Fellowship in 2006-07, I helped strengthen eco-clubs in rural schools in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, reaching around 6000 students in 7th-12th Standards. While environmental education is mandatory in all Indian schools, I wanted to encourage proactive hands-on leadership.

Climate solutions included: installing a school vermicomposting project and rainwater harvesting tanks in 40 schools; a month-long mural project focusing on local biodiversity; creating an environmental leadership camp for adolescent girls; building and cooking with a solar oven from cardboard and tinfoil; writing and performing a play about water issues; and holding debates on environmental issues.

Description: 

Stakeholders:

8th-12th Std. students of CSI School, SNSN Girls’ School, and Karunnahar High School.

Mr. W. Mahendradoss, Principal of CSI School, Nagapattinam, and Mrs. Kalyani Das, Eco-club Head, SNSN Girls’ School, Labpur.

Bidisha Banerjee, Indicorps Fellow

The Institute for Motivating Self-Employment (IMSE)

Mechanisms: The project took one year and was primarily supported through the labour and enthusiasm of volunteers, school staff, and students; while the rainwater-harvesting tanks were installed by IMSE and paid for by foreign donors, the rest of the activities mentioned above funded by rural community members and parents at negligible cost. Neighbours donated paints for the mural project; local youth volunteered to help run the environmental leadership camp.

Major Benefits: Rural youth seized the chance to become environmental leaders.

Contact Details: 
hailbidisha@yahoo.com
Opportunities: 
While the eco-club project ended in 2007, Indicorps, the organization which helped create this project, has opportunities for interns, staff, and fellows. Please see www.indicorps.org for more information.
Extended Answers
Finance - Did this climate solution require funding?: 

As above; while the rainwater-harvesting tanks were installed by IMSE and paid for by foreign donors, the rest of the activities mentioned above funded by rural community members and parents at negligible cost. Neighbours donated paints for the mural project; local youth volunteered to help run the environmental leadership camp.

Policy - Are there any policies relevant to this solution? : 

n/a

Benefits - Have the carbon savings of this solution been quantified?: 

No

Barriers - What barriers has this solution overcome?: 

Lack of funding and institutional support are the biggest barriers this project overcame; the enthusiasm of rural youth for environmental leadership helped overcome this challenge and revealed that volunteers who can devote time to encouraging climate solutions can have a significant impact.

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